Wolverines Set for Weekend at Collegiate Cup
11/8/2018 4:01:00 PM | Water Polo
THIS WEEK
COLLEGIATE CUP (Tournament Central)Â
Saturday, Nov. 10 -- vs. New York Athletic Club (Irvine, Calif.), 7 a.m. PST
Live Stats | Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 10 -- vs. Hawai'i (Irvine, Calif.), 3:10 p.m. PST
Live Stats | Tournament Schedule
Sunday, Nov. 11 -- Opponents, game times TBA
Live Stats | Tournament Schedule
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The University of Michigan water polo team heads to Irvine, California, on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 10-11), when they will play five exhibition games at the USA Water Polo Collegiate Cup.
Collegiate Cup
Head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi takes his Wolverine team to the Collegiate Cup for the fifth consecutive year. His teams have an 8-8 record over the first four years, having faced some of the nation's top teams. Last year, after a one-goal loss to Hawai'i, U-M rebounded to win three games in a row to close out the weekend in Fresno, California. This year's tournament will take place in Irvine, with games to be held at Beckman High School and Northwood High School on Saturday. Sunday's games will take place at the Woollett Aquatic Center at Cal Irvine.
The Teams
Joining Michigan in Irvine will be several top teams from around the country. The New York Athletic Club and Hawai'i are alongside the Wolverines in Group A, while Group B features USC, Pacific and Indiana. Group C includes Stanford, China, San Jose State and USA Academy. Group D is made up of Cal, UCLA, Marist and Pomona Pitzer.
Tickets
Tickets for the Collegiate Cup will be sold at the door. The price of admission is $15 per day or $20 for a weekend pass. USA Water Polo members can receive a discounted price of $5 per day or $10 for the weekend by showing their membership card. Children under the age of 10 receive free admission.
Team 19
U-M returns six starters from the 2018 squad that went 32-9 overall. The Wolverines welcome in six newcomers to go with 15 returners. Three players who tallied 90 points or more in 2018 are back for another season, and seven of the team's top-nine goal scorers from a year ago return. This season's returnees tallied nearly 80 percent of the team's goals last year, while two-year starting goalkeeper Heidi Ritner is back as well.
Youth
Even with so many players returning, the Wolverines have a young roster with 13 of the 21 members being in their freshman or sophomore year. A talented six-member freshman class joins the ranks to bolster a roster that lost three contributing seniors a year ago.
Fifth Season
Leonardi is entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Wolverines with an overall record of 109-39 (.736) and a 30-2 record in the Collegiate Water Polo Association. He has guided U-M to three consecutive CWPA Championships and three NCAA appearances.
Captains
Michigan's three seniors, Delaney Cleveland, Kim Johnson and Julia Sellers, will serve as team captains for the 2019 season. Captains were announced one week ahead of the Collegiate Cup.
Regular Season
The 2019 regular season will get underway Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19-20, 2019, when Michigan is set to play four games in the UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, California. U-M starts with USC and Cal State Northridge on Saturday, Jan. 19 and closes with games against UCLA and Fresno State on Sunday, Jan. 20.
